Out of the Darkness
by ItsPraetorReyna
Summary: Regina Mills and Emma Swan's relationship began with a rocky start. But as time went on, their feelings for one another grew in silence. Closer and closer they became, until they relied on one another for more than each was willing to admit. But one day, Regina began to notice a change in Emma... ...a dark change...
1. Credits

**This story is based on Far Nerdy's video on YouTube called Out of the Darkness. The link to the video that began this all is the following:**

 **/NMAuz6m2wYA**

 **Before beginning this story I'd love to give credits to Far Nerdy for making this wonderful video and coming up with this idea. With her permission I am simply telling her idea of a story in more vivid detail for the viewers of her channel who wanted an entire story based on OotD and for Swen to enjoy. Far Nerdy also came up with the description/ summary which you can also check out in her video description and the cover of this story is also hers. This story is available in various different websites. Once again the idea and original credits go to Far Nerdy so thanks to her I have the honour of writing this story. She is also overlooking the drafts of this story so it can be as accurate to her video as possible and so that I know the plot is going in the direction she wants it to. Anyways, without further ado...**


	2. Prologue

_Regina Mills and Emma Swan's relationship began with a rocky start. start. But as time went on, their feelings for one another grew in silence. Closer and closer they became, until they relied on one another for more than each was willing to admit._

 _But one day Regina began to notice a change in Emma..._

 _...a dark change..._


	3. Chapter 1

For Regina, thinking about how Emma had become the carrier of darkness was not at all that hard to understand, more so, hard to believe. But she _had_ to. There was no way the almost glowing ice cold dagger lying menacingly against wood with the name _Emma Swan_ inscribed perfectly into it could be a mistake.

She leaned on her arms at the head of the grand mahogany dining table, digging her nails in frustration into the edge of the table. Currently using her dining room as a conference room, The Charmings, her son, Belle, and Robin were seated around it, waiting... for _something._ _Anything_ to happen. Some sort of sign to drop out of the sky as to Emma's location.

Looking at them all, they all seemed to portray a sliver of emotion that was currently a whirlwind inside her.

Dejection, confusion, despair, concern and sadness.

More sadness than she had _ever_ felt, all because no one knew where Emma could have gone. Still, she was silently thankful for the support of her friends and family. It made everything easier to deal with, including the feelings for the blond she had suppressed for years.

"Why isn't she coming?" Snow sniffled softly, wiping the tears off her face with the back of her cardigan.

Regina bit her lip, remembering how they had failed to summon Emma shortly after her sudden departure. They had searched through the town everywhich way possible. _Yet no sign of Emma._ "The rule of the dagger states that the Dark One **should** appear." Snow continued.

Regina met Belle's gaze who nodded solemnly in a silent sign of encouragement. She gave the librarian a tired smile in thanks.

The brunnete sucked in a breath shakily.

"Well there you have it." Her voice sounded hoarse and uncontrolled even to her own ears but she could care less. "She's _**not**_ in this world."

There was a long silence before Snow cleared her throat and stood up, rimrod straight, out of nowhere seemingly the strong woman she was in the Enchanted Forest again. No tears in sight. No sign of the obvious pain she as going through aside from the slight scratch in her voice. Poor David had nearly been knocked out of his chair in surprise at his wife's sudden movement. Regina nearly smirked.

"Well?" she demanded. "What can we do? How can we go find her?"

Another long silence. This time drawed out for several minutes.

"A portal." Belle said finally. Snow looked at Regina in confirmation. Regina nodded.

"Since Emma is not in this world", she explained, glaring at the dagger in front of her, "We need to find a way to make a portal. We ran out of magic beans but the old Apprentice may be able to help. He has a wand. Using that we can create the portal ourselves-"

She took a deep breath. "And we can get our Emma back." She whispered, more to herself than to the others. The tremble in her voice and the tightening of her knuckles against the table did not go unnoticed by Henry, who regarded her curiously.

"We'll find her", Robin chimed in.

Charming vowed his head in agreement and stood up next to his wife. "Family always finds eachother and we are **not** losing our daughter for a third time." He grabbed his sheath from under the table and strapped it around his waist.

For a few moments everyone thought over the trip they'd have to make and the entire predicament they were in.

Despite the rather _dire_ situation, Henry grinned and stood up, quickly giving his mother an unexpected hug, much to _everyone's_ surprise.

"Mom, we'll find her." He whispered against her shoulder. "We will always come together. Family does that."

 _So Henry was not oblivious to his mothers' unspoken feelings... Clearly._

Regina hid the sudden rush of blood to her cheeks into Henry's hair until he kissed her cheek with the crack of a knowing smile and running out of the dining room.

His mother and his family had given him great _hope_ in finding his other mom _._ Not to mention the fact that even in Regina's voice, there was a tone that was grasping for any proof that they could find and get back _their_ Emma. And so given _that_ much determination, they were for **sure** going to find her.

"We should go then! We don't have time to lose!", He called over his shoulder already out the door. "The sooner we find Ma easier it will be getting the darkness out of her!"

Regina furrowed her brows, but nodded at the group standing up and heading towards the exit. Regardless of her son's enthusiasm Regina couldn't even lift up the corners of her lips in even a hint of a smile. She sighed dejectedly.

 _Gods wherever you are Emma, I hope you're okay._

"Looks like it's time to visit the Apprentice." She mumbled to the retreating group of heroes.


	4. Chapter 2

Emma was anxious, annoyed, exhausted, lost and lonely- save for Rumplestiltskin, who was following her around since the moment she had appeared in the Enchanted Forest from the chamber of the Dark One, but Gold was already hardly pleasant company in Storybrooke and Rumple was _that_ much worse.

And not to mention she was completely overwhelmed. _Also_ thanks to the irritating gremlin trailing next to her just out of her peripherals. _Like a kicked puppy,_ she thought.

The blond was pretty sure she had been walking in circles and Rumple's little commentaries only confirmed her suspicions. However bad her situation was though, she couldn't help but feel pride that she had protected her best friend and possibly, _hopefully_ , given her another chance at keeping her happiness. The thought of regret over her actions had never once entered her mind and that just made her hero complex flair contentedly.

Since before meeting the redheaded girl with the wild unmanageable hair, she had swore that she would _**not**_ be using dark magic again.

Of course that had been _then._ Yesterday. Last night. _Now_ , with the former Dark One coaxing and coaching her into ripping Merida's heart out, she was seriously rethinking her morals.

For the past day and a half Emma had been having an internal battle concerning her use of dark magic as the Dark One in making dark deeds. Of course the root of the problem wasn't just the fact that she was the Dark One. _No_. Her internal battle in doing bad had been going on for far longer than a day and a half. And she was aware of it. From the moment she nearly choked the man during her search for Lily to nearly killing Lily herself, she knew that she would have continued to murder and do other treacherous things had it not been for Regina insessantly being on the look out for her. And _who knows_ how long the dark thoughts had been in her mind before that.

 _The saviour needs saving... and from the former Evil Queen_ , Emma smiled dolefully at the irony.

By now _her_ saviour was not here to stop her- not _just_ stop her, but to _protec_ t her from herself- and the mere _idea_ of just _letting_ temptation consume her already felt so... _liberating._

And so just like that, she blocked out the rational part of her mind, the part of her brain that was all Regina, and let her dark instincts do the rest. She quietly listened to her instructor and his biddings.

With a heartfelt apology, she plunged her trembling hand into the girl's chest. She ignored the gasp and shudder that ran through Merida, instead concentrating on feeling the throbbing heart beneath her fingertips. She pulled out the vessel, grimacing slightly in disgust, and looked into her first victims eyes.

The queen-to-be wheezed. "What are you waiting for, _WITCH?!"_ shegrowled.

Emma hesitated. Apparently for longer than she thought. "You know she's quite right, dearie. You are taking _much_ too loooong." Rumplestiltskin slid off the boulder and skittered toward her.

" _Crush it."_ He sneered now right in her face.

Emma's fingers twitched involuntarily at the command.

"You know you want toooo!" Rumple sang.

She grit her teeth, her internal fight beginning again regardless of her mental dispute just instants ago with morality quickly being over taken with her need to capture the wisp to get back to her family.

She commanded her shaking hand to relax and allowed her fingers to cave into the beating heart. Merida screamed.

"That's it, dear. **Crush** **it**." Rumple urged her repeatedly, similar to the way a father might urge his child to take his first steps. She gripped her fingers even tighter, reveling in the way Merida's cries of pain intensified. Rumplestiltskin giggled madly in delight.

"Emma!" The Dark One tilted her head at the sudden call of her name. _Well, that was certainly not Rumplestiltskin._ She ignored the voice though, squinting at the small heart in her palm and the withering woman before her.

She heard leaves crackling towards the edge of the clearing. " _ **Emma!**_ " Her heart involuntarily beat faster as she immediately recognised the source of the voice. _Of course she would._

 _ **"Mom**_!"

Now, completely distracted, she released the pressure on the heart and turned hopefully to find her her family gaping at her with wide eyes.

(And Rumplestiltskin was gone. _Figures_.)

"Regina,"- She stepped toward her family, nearly dropping Merida's heart.

Regina nearly sobbed in gladness. "Emma. Don't to this." Regina placed her hand on Emma's shoulder, looking between her face and her hand. She gave her shoulder a squeeze, instead of giving her the hug of relief she wanted so desperately to give her.

"We have the dagger, Emma." Snow appeared out of the density of the trees with the rest of the crew following closely after.

"We don't want to have to use it, but we will if it means we are protecting you." David continued. _Were these idiots serious?_ Regina thought. _They literally just saw that their daughter is alive and the first thing they do is threaten her?!_

Regina glared at the Charmings incredulously, "No!"

She turned back to a surprised Emma. "This has to be _her_ decision. Emma?"

Henry tried to step toward his parents but Charming threw his arm over his shoulders, holding him safely against Snow and him. "Don't do it Ma! This is only a test. One of the many a Saviour has to go through. This is only to prove that the saviour really is the saviour. And you are! You just need to beat the darkness inside you."

Emma shivered beneath everyone's eyes. "I had to do it. I needed to use the wisp to get home and she was the only one who had one and I wouldn't be able to use it after her so I had to kill her." Emma babbled, guilty.

Henry successfully threw off David's protective arm and walked towards his mothers. Instinctively Emma took her son into her arms. She rested her chin onto his head as she locked eyes with her parents, nodding in acknowledgement at Robin and then back to Regina.

"You can do it Mom." He smiled up at her and Regina, silently urging his brunette mother to encourage Emma some more.

Snow reached out to Emma, taking one of her hands into her own. "I'm sorry. We can get back. We're together now. We can keep you safe, Emma." She smiled at her daughter and pressed a kissed to her forehead despite the creeping feeling of discomfort at what she had just witnessed her doing moments before.

"Emma", Regina placed a hand over hers, "Return her heart." She gestured towards Merida.

Despite feeling a little -too gay already, naturally she always did when Regina was around- Emma couldn't refrain from staring into Regina's eyes, getting lost in the depth of the warm, comforting pools that kept her constantly safe from herself; the same ones that lost the coldness that once would have done anything to get rid of her.

An awkward silence stilled the air as the Charmings and Robin shifted anxiously in their spots.

A small jab from a bony finger to the ribs broke Emma out of her reverie. Henry smirked discreetly when Emma glared at him and snickered into his fist when his mom nodded lamely under Regina's reassuring watch.

 _Better make this fast_ , Emma thought in embarrassment. _It is nothing more but a test._

Everyone watched as Emma unsteadily crouched in front of Merida. " _I am so sorry, Merida_ ", She whispered. Without allowing her time to respond (no doubt with a string of curses), she pushed the long forgotten gut back into its rightful place. Merida gasped and clawed at dirt as she felt the battering of her heart back in her system.

Emma stood back, giving Merida space to compose herself. She walked over to her parents, but kept a safe distance, preferring to stay closer to Regina and Henry.

"Camelot." Snow said.

"What?" Emma raised a brow as her gaze shifted from Merida to friends.

"We have to go to Camelot, Emma." Regina rolled her eyes in spite of the fondness she felt for the slow blond.

"Merlin? The prophecy? We're getting rid of the darkness?" She pressed.

Emma blushed in realisation a few seconds later and looked down, trying to stuff her hands into her pockets but forgetting she wasn't wearing her usual attire.

"Oh, right."

She looked so much like Emma Swan in that moment- the awkward child-adult that first arrived in Storybrooke, that Regina's heart constricted painfully in endearment.

Regina took a deep breath and cast a glance back at Merida who glared back at her furiously.

"Well", she began. "Camelot should be a day's-"

After an hour of discussing plans to continue to Camelot and waving a cursing Merida goodbye with a 'good luck' (well good luck from them and another apology from Emma, Merida basically just said 'F*ck you all' and walked away), the band of heroes set off to find King Arthur and Merlin the sorcerer in Camelot.

The group set off joyously, desperately trying to forget the fact that their tribulations were far from over, but not knowing just _how_ much would change in only a matter of upcoming days. _For everyone._


End file.
